Who was the Sapa Inca? Like the Pharaohs of Egypt, the Inca was the all-powerful emperor, the leader of the Inca people. Inca means emperor. Sapa Inca means the only emperor. The Sapa Inca ruled everything and owned everything. The Inca was not just a ruler. The Inca was believed to be a direct descendant of the sun god, Inti.   Did he have servants? Yes, he did. Servants carried the Sapa Inca everywhere in a golden litter, and waited on him hand and foot. He ate off gold plates and drank from gold cups. When the Inca left the palace, women and children, colorfully dressed in specially made outfits, went in front of the golden litter. They swept the ground, and threw flowers, and played music. The emperor never went anywhere without his procession.   Was he married? Every Incan ruler had many wives. The Inca might have as many as 100 children. He could marry anyone of noble blood, but usually the emperor married his sister in formal ceremony, as his main wife. All the Inca's wives had a job in common. It was their job to collect and guard anything the Inca might drop, including a single hair from his head. Everything about the Inca was sacred, and everything had to be guarded to protect the Inca from evil spirits.   Where did he live? The emperor lived in a palace, with gold and silver walls. He ate off plates made of gold, and drank from cups made of gold. He wore a gold fringe around his forehead as the emblem of his office. His throne was just a low stool, probably made of wood. But since wood was scarce, that made it valuable. His blanket was made of the finest wool. He slept on the floor on a mat, just as all people did in the Inca Empire.   What did the Inca wear? The Inca wore clothes that were made by women called the "chosen women". The Inca only wore an outfit once. When his clothes were removed, they were burned. The chosen women were kept very busy making clothes for the Inca. The clothes were very fancy. Only the Inca could wear a headdress with his special fringe of gold and feathers. His coat was covered with jewels and pieces of turquoise. He wore heavy gold shoulder pads. He wore heavy gold bracelets and earrings. His earrings were so heavy that they pulled his earlobes down until they rested on his shoulder pads. He wore shoes of leather and fur. He wore a royal shield on his chest engraved with a picture of the sun god. He wore a royal badge made of hummingbird feathers, framed with gold. It is amazing he could even breathe weighed down as he was by the golden symbols of his office.   Could anyone see the Inca? Whenever the Inca left his palace, his face was covered with a translucent cloth. It was believed that he was too splendid to be seen by everyone.   Could anyone become the next Inca? The answer is no. Only a son of the current emperor and the main wife could become the next Inca. Should they have more than one son, the choice was not always the oldest son. The heir to the throne was given special training to make sure he could outdo other boys in strength and endurance. But he was not automatically selected. The son who proved himself most worthy was selected. Before he died, the Inca selected the son who would replace him. He had his council to help him, but the Inca made the final decision. Return to The Incredible Incas for Kids